Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's recent return to Earth following a successful 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission has been met with praise from international experts, who lauded India's space program for its remarkable achievements. Shukla's journey marks a pivotal moment for India, signifying its growing capabilities and ambitions in space exploration.
Shukla, a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is the first ISRO astronaut to visit the ISS and only the second Indian to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma's mission in 1984. His mission on Axiom-4, a collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and ISRO, is intended to strengthen international spaceflight cooperation.
During his time on the ISS, Shukla participated in over 60 scientific experiments, a significant portion of which were India-led. These experiments spanned various disciplines, including life sciences, agriculture, space biotechnology, and cognitive research. ISRO noted the completion of experiments on the Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, sprouting of methi and moong seeds, Cyanobacteria, Microalgae, crop seeds, and Voyager Display. His involvement in the Sprouts Project, which explores how plants grow in microgravity, could pave the way for future breakthroughs in sustainable farming in space.
Shukla's mission provided ISRO with invaluable hands-on feedback on spacecraft systems integration, ground communication protocols, and emergency response procedures, all critical for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission. The scientific outcomes from his experiments will influence mission design and academic and industrial research within India. Numerous domestic players, from universities to biotech startups, were involved in conceptualizing and building the payloads for Axiom-4, laying the groundwork for a robust space-tech ecosystem within the country.
Former NASA scientist Clayton C. Anderson and Moriba Jah, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas, praised India's space sector, stressing the need for greater collaboration in the space sector between countries such as the USA, China, and India. They also expressed admiration for Shubhanshu Shukla for making the splashdown look easy, calling it an extremely challenging process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, "I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space...It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan". President Droupadi Murmu tweeted, "A hearty welcome to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he comes back on Earth after his space journey... My congratulations to everyone involved in this mission".
Shukla's safe return to Earth is not just a personal achievement but a significant leap for India's space program. His experience offers a blueprint and a boost as India moves closer to launching its own astronauts aboard its own spacecraft. His journey strengthens India's position in global space exploration and fosters growth in its space-tech ecosystem, paving the way for independent human spaceflight capabilities. Union minister Jitendra Singh stated that Shukla would return to India by August 17, following post-mission procedures, including rehabilitation and debriefing sessions.
